Thanks also, Bacchus, for clarifying that this is a cartoon and the people in it are not “definitely” anything. Let’s not fall back on stereotypes Nathan.

People seem to think that any mention of Nazis that doesn’t say how evil they are must be wrong. I notice this a lot; I’m not just thinking of MrsNapoleon. This picture isn’t promoting Nazi goals or anything. It’s promoting kinky sex. Some of my Jewish relatives died in the Holocaust. I don’t think the Nazi guards killed them in sessions of intense kinky sex. Why, then, should I be offended by this? If those two want to have a good time together, it’s fine by me — they’re not hurting anyone (except maybe each other ;) ).

Now that you’ve come back politely, I’ll explain my reasoning a bit more fully.

The thing is, there’s a censorious reflex in society, which causes individuals to condemn a wide variety of sexual fantasy and practice for the sole reason that it makes them uncomfortable. (Or, in your words, “disturbing”, “uneasy”, “shocking”, “unsettling”.) This reflex operates to suppress most sexual expression in American society. ErosBlog, in turn, is in fundamental opposition to that censorious reflex.

The thing is, I’m horrified at the idea of sexual thoughtcrime. I utterly reject the contention that a sexual fantasy or impulse or moment of being “turned on” by an idea or image can be bad or wrong. Sexual acts can be evil; sexual arousal cannot be.

So, back to cartoon Nazis. What made this image interesting to me was the hat. It raised the possibility in my mind that this was play — two concentration camp guards roleplaying and taking time for kinky sex while surrounded by hell. That, in the context, would be artistically interesting.

But, of course, it’s a cartoon; it doesn’t depict anything real and it’s impossible to say what the artist thought he was drawing. The only reaction that matters is the one in your head. Where you transgressed, in my opinion, is in sharing your negative reaction with us while strongly suggesting that (a) we would have had the same negative reaction but for stupidity or ignorance or (b) we should have had the same negative reaction you had.

There *are* people who happily play “camp guard and prisoner” sex games in their bedrooms. Do you think that’s evil? I don’t. So how can a cartoon illustrating that fantasy be evil? I don’t think it can be. If the fantasy, and the bedroom play, is OK, then the cartoon is OK.

If you would condemn the fantasy, or the play, then you are part of the repressive censorious forces to which ErosBlog is opposed. By seeming to condemn the cartoon, you appeared to align yourself with those forces, hence my somewhat rude and dismissive reaction.

Of course you don’t need to agree with me, but you’re not going to change my mind. Especially not when you start by saying, in effect “are you too dumb to know that’s offensive?” when the offensiveness is very much a matter of debate.

Thank Gawd for that. That’s what playboy is for. This is Eros for goodness sake!

~swoon~

The first thing I thought was hat? What hat? Get a load of that whip though! Damn. Where do you think I could get one of those?

;)

Basically, it was probably not my place to say that I just sort of blurted it out because of how I felt, and I’m sorry if I’m “ruining the mood or something”.

Nice find, Bacchus. And, if you’re jaded, I must be, too. The first thing I noticed was that neither party seems to have an appropriately involved expression on their face. :P